This is my second time trying the Sea Hag recipe, and it's just...awful. Waaayyyyy too sourthe vinegar is overwhelmingly strong, I almost choked on this crap. I did a batch with apple cider vinegar and a batch with malt vinegar. I preferred the apple cider, but both batches were inedible. What a waste. Are most people using the Sea Hag recipe or the second version (which seems better b/c it has a lot of water added, which you need IMO)??

disclaimer: I've made lots of batches of pickles and they always come out great. I may have to abandon "IPA pickles" altogether.

I've been using the Sea Hag recipe (I think I'm partial to it because they're a local brewery for me and all-around good guys). My major hit on the recipe is the high level of salt. I may back up to two teaspoons of regular salt next time.

That said, I love how they come out and did my third batch last night. Made 4 pint jars=worth, and had space in the 4th, so I threw in some sliced radishes. As of this morning, the red skin has turned white and the brine is now red.

I made a batch today following the Sea Hag recipe for the brine, but using Alaskan IPA because it was what I had. The rest I just kind of winged it, a couple cloves of garlic in each jar and a couple tablespoons each of dill seed and pickling spice. I had some brine left over after doing two jars of cucumbers (I packed one with the skins out and one with skins in) so I got some baby carrots from the fridge and tried them. I'm hoping those turn out ok because I didn't use any spices in that jar, I'm sure they'll be fine just not as flavorful. I really liked that brine too, I think I can see myself brining a piece of meat in it some day.

So 24 hours later I snuck a taste of cucs and they weren't bad, but I wasn't 100% pleased either. They were good but I like more of a sour and zingier pickle. Next batch I might use white vinegar instead of cider vinegar just to get more neutral of a flavor, then step up the garlic and add some red pepper flakes. The carrots I sampled I actually liked better but they were still missing something. I'll see how they are in a week or two.

It was kind of funny today. I tried another carrot pickle and my 2 year old son asked for one so I gave it to him. He kind of made a funny face but he finished the whole thing. I asked if he wanted another one and he shook his head no and walked away. I'm guessing he wasn't impressed.....

Holy smoke these things are great. Everyone really enjoys them and they are with out a doubt the best pickles I have ever had. I followed the first recipe, but left out the cloves, as I do not care for cloves..... When I polish off the pickles in one of the jars I am gonna throw a couple hard boiled eggs in there and wait a few days and see how they taste... Should be glorious .......

I make a lot of various refrigerator pickles with a ratio formula derived somewhere from Michael Ruhlman & Michael Simon:
1.5 cups vinegar
1.5 cups water
2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbl sugar (or to taste. I add a lot more.)
1 Tbl more or less (more is better) of your favorite pickling spices
Bring all ingredients to boil. Pour over vegetables packed in jars. Cool. Refrigerate.

Adjusting the amounts depending on how much liquid you need to cover your vegetables is simply a matter of scaling ratios up or down.
Now, if one were to sub beer for the water, and add hop cones off boil, as well as some cones to the jars, would this work to make hoppy pickles?
Will try tomorrow and post results.